Your free, almost free and not so free horror movie screenings guide

Halloween is nothing without scary movies. (Or Disney Channel screenings of Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown.) But sometimes it's more fun to watch your favorites with a big crowd of people; that way you can laugh at the chick that won't stop screaming.

Here's a few of the free, almost free and not so free horror movie screenings that are happening around Chicago this month:

Oct 7th - Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity
Oct 8th - Pet Sematary and Psycho
Oct 14th - Night of the Living Dead and 28 Days Later
Oct 15th - The Orphanage and The Sixth Sense
Oct 21st - The Ring and The Changeling
Oct 22nd - The Lost Boys and 30 Days of Night
Oct 28th - Zombieland and Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Oct 29th - Creepshow and Trick R Treat
Oct 31st - Nightmare on Elm St. and Halloween

The Three Penny Was Here will present a double feature of two cult classics on October 24: Dead Alive and Evil Dead 2. Enjoy these free screenings at Lincoln Hall while you partake in drink specials and half-priced flat bread.

Almost FreeThe Chicago Park District hosts the annual Wicker Park three-day Halloween movie festival October 28 - 30. For $2 you can attend screenings of the Mummy, the Mummy Returns, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and an Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy matinee. I do love me some Brendan Fraser.

Not FreeThe Music Box Theatre brings back its Music Box Massacre, a 24-hour horror movie film festival, on October 15. The event starts next Saturday at noon with Waxworks - a silent film with live organ accompaniement - and powers through 13 horror movies:

Joe's Bar is going all out, turning itself into a movie theater with a large screen and dozens of couches on Wednesday, October 26. I have to warn you that ticket prices are a bit steep, but it includes a lot: entrace to the screening, unlimited pizza and salad buffet, two cocktails from a select menu, popcorn and other treats. The event also promises "Halloween Fun," but the only fun I've had at Joe's is having beer spilled on me. Let's hope this event is better.

The vote's still out on what movie will be shown, but if you bought an Early Bee ticket you get the chance to vote between The Shining, Scream, The Exorcist and Halloween. Early Bee ticket sales are over, but you can still buy a regular ticket for $35. Tickets are $40 at the door, pending availability.